Michigan left turn gets boost from Wayne State University

Wayne State University engineers will help spread the gospel of the Michigan left turn around the world, thanks to a grant from the Science Applications International Corp.

The median U-turn is common on Michigan roads as a way to avoid accident-generating left turns at intersections. Wayne State says it isn't used widely in other states and countries in part because the design isn't yet included in standard manuals and software that highway designers use.

The university says it's received a $78,000 grant from Scientific Applications to develop equations, text and software so the Michigan left turn and three other designs can join the next edition of the Highway Capacity Manual that highway designers use.